Chronological Bible Study – Jan 16

What I Noticed Today (Genesis 12-15)

Genesis 12

In verses 1-9, God calls Abram:

• The Lord called out to Abram and told him to go with your relatives and leave your father’s land.
• Go to the land I will show you, and I will make you a great nation, and bless you.
• I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.
• So Abram went as the Lord commanded.
• At 75 years old, Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and all their possessions and set out for Canaan.
• Abram arrived at Shechem, by the oak of Moreh.
• God appeared to Abram and said He would give this land to Abram’s offspring.
• Abram built an altar to the Lord.

• From Shechem, Abram traveled to the hill country east of Bethel, and built another altar to the Lord, and called out to the Lord there.
• Then Abram journeyed in stages to the Negev (a desert south of Canaan).

In verses 10-20, Abram journeys to Egypt:

• There was a famine in the land (of Canaan) because of little rain, so Abram took his family and went to Egypt.
• When they were about to enter Egypt, he told Sarai, because she was beautiful, if the people in Egypt thought they were married,, they would kill him, to have her.
• Therefore, he asked her to say they were brother and sister.
• When they entered Egypt, the Egyptians did see that Sarai was beautiful, and Pharaoh took her to be in his household (harem).
• Pharaoh treated Abram well because of Sarai, and he became very rich because of her.
• But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with severe plagues because of Sarai.
• Pharaoh confronted Abram with the truth; that Sarai was, in fact, Abram’s wife.
• Then Pharaoh sent Abram and Sarai away with all their possessions.

Some thoughts for additional consideration:

• In Genesis 12, God called Abram out of an idolatrous family (Abram’s father Terah did not follow God, see Joshua 24:2). Abram responded to God’s call in faith, and he obeyed God’s instructions. He received the promised blessing. Right afterward, his faith was tested during the famine when he went to Egypt.
• The same sequence often occurs in our lives today. 1) We are called from sin, and we follow God in faith. 2) We obey God, and we receive promised blessings. 3) Our faith is tested.

Genesis 13

In verses 1-18, Abram leaves Egypt and separates from his nephew Lot:

• Having been ordered by Pharaoh to leave Egypt, Abram took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, and all their possessions and journeyed in stages back to the Negev in the Promised Land, to the place where he had built the altar to the Lord.
• Abram called on the name of the Lord there.

• Lot also had tents, herds, and flocks.
• The land could not support them both because they had so much.
• There was quarreling between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen.
• At this time, Canaanites and Perizzites lived in the land.

• Abram did not want quarreling among them since they were relatives.

• Abram suggested they separate and find new lands to live in.
• Abram magnanimously offered for Lot to choose first.

• Lot looked toward the Jordan Valley as far as Zoar and saw it had plenty of water like the Lord’s garden and Egypt.
• This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
• So Lot chose the entire Jordan Valley for himself.
• Lot journeyed east and set up his tents near Sodom.
• The men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the Lord.

• After Lot had left, the Lord told Abram to look in every direction (north, south, east, and west) and promised to give this land to him and his offspring forever.
• The Lord also promised to make Abram’s offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth.
• Then the Lord told Abram to get up and walk around the entire land.
• So Abram moved his family and went to live at the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

Genesis 14

In verses 1-16 Abram had to rescue his nephew Lot:

• In that day four kings from the north (Amraphel, Arioch, Chedorlaomer, Tidal) waged war against the kings of the Jordan Valley: Bera, king of Sodom; Birsha, king of Gomorrah; Shinab, king of Zeboiim; and the king of Bela (also known as Zoar).
• The kings of the Jordan Valley were defeated and paid tribute to Chedorlaomer (king of Persia) for 12 years, but in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.
• In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings with him came and defeated Rephaim, the Zumin, the Emim, and the Horites in the mountains of Seir as far as the wilderness of Elparan.
• Then they came back and invaded Kadesh and defeated the Amalekites and the Amorites.
• Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar came out to do battle against king Chedorlaomer, Tidal, Amraphel, and Arioch in the Valley of Siddom.
• The Valley of Siddom was full of asphalt pits.
• The four kings of the north defeated the five kings of the south, and as they ran, some of the men fell into the asphalt pits, and others retreated to the mountains.
• The four kings of the north plundered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And they took Lot and his possessions.
• One of the survivors of the battle came and told Abram about his nephew Lot being captured.

• Abram assembled a force of 318 trained men, born in his household, and pursued the four kings of the north as far as Dan.
• He attacked them at night and pursued them as far north as Hobah north of Damascus (in Syria).
• Abram was victorious and brought back all the goods and his nephew Lot, the family, and the other captives.

In verses 17-24, Abram is blessed by Melchizedek:

• After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings of the north, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (probably east of Jerusalem).
• Melchizedek, the king of Salem (another name for Jerusalem), also came out to meet them with bread and wine. He was a priest to the Most High
• Melchizedek blessed Abram saying God had handed over his enemies to him.

• Abram gave him a tenth of everything (a tithe).
• The king of Sodom (Bera) told Abram to give him the people, but keep the possessions for himself.
• Abram swore before God that he would take nothing from Sodom so that no one could say they had made Abram rich, but the men could take their share.

Genesis 15

In verses 1-21, God makes a covenant with Abraham:

• The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, telling him not to be afraid; his reward would be very great.

• Abram responded, what can you give me since I am childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus, a slave born in his house.
• The Lord promised Abram he would have his own children, and his offspring would be as numerous as the stars.
• Abram believed the Lord and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.

• The Lord said I am Yahweh who brought you out from the Ur of Chaldeans to possess this land.
• Abram asked, how will I know that I will possess it?
• The Lord told Abram to get a 3-year old cow, a 3-year old goat, a 3-year old ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon.
• Abram brought them to the Lord, and Abram split the cow, the goat, and the ram down the middle and laid the pieces opposite each other.
• As the sun was setting, a deep sleep came over Abram, and suddenly a great darkness and terror came upon him.

• Then the Lord told Abram your offspring would be foreigners in a land for 400 years. During that time, they will be enslaved and oppressed.
• However, I (the Lord) will judge that nation, and your people will go out with many possessions. But you will live in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.
• In the fourth generation (after the 400 years), they will return here for the iniquity of the Amorites has not reached its full measure.

• When the sun had set, and it was dark, a smoking firepot and flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals.
• On that day, the Lord made the covenant with Abram promising to give the land from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates river to his descendants.

Some thoughts for further consideration:

• Lot gave in to the temptation of worldly desires when he chose to leave Abram and live in the Jordan Valley near Sodom. Even after being captured, led away, and eventually being rescued, he went right back to living in Sodom.
• Abram’s faith developed over time. He lacked faith when he left the Promised Land because of the famine. He lacked faith when he had Sarai lie about who she was to protect him. But in faith, he trusted God to fulfill His promise for the land. In faith, he trusted God to give him children to possess the land, and as a result, he was judged righteous by God. His faith in God saved him.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Day 17 Genesis 16-18